


Bleedthrough

by Sneakend



Category: One Piece
Genre: Blood and Violence, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Medical Procedures, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-22 22:14:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30045564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneakend/pseuds/Sneakend
Summary: Kid gets hurt. Law handles it well—until he doesn't.
Relationships: Eustass Kid/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39
Collections: One Piece Bingo 2020/2021





	Bleedthrough

**Author's Note:**

> Another last-minute entry for the One Piece bingo (the prompt was "hurt/comfort" though this one's a bit light on the comfort, maybe)
> 
> Also thanks to Norma for answering all my dumb medical questions ♡

It was pure bad luck that they'd been ambushed by three different crews at the same time — all of which had at least one Devil Fruit user among them. And they seemed to be working well together, which suggested that this was a planned thing. Either the crews were in an alliance or at the very least had negotiated a temporary truce. The only silver lining was that Kid has been around when the attack happened because as loath as he was to admit it, Law doubted his crew could've withstood the battle on their own. 

There wasn't any small talk exchanged, the enemy attacks coming swiftly and brutally, and thus Law had no idea if they were really after him or Kid and what their real goal even was. The bounty money was the most logical explanation but he wasn't about to stop and ask. It wouldn't matter in the end anyway, he wasn't planning on losing. 

So far they had been lucky and hadn't lost anyone. However, the fight had been going on long enough that Law was starting to worry about exhaustion. His power took a lot out of him and today he'd already been forced to rely on it too much. He'd resorted to Kikoku when possible but some of the enemies were unusually slippery and good at avoiding any predictable attacks. 

He cursed as a bullet flew past his head, too close for comfort. There was no time to keep his eye on everyone as much as he would've liked to, he could only hope that nobody needed his help.

Penguin rounded a corner and almost ran into him. "Oh, captain! How you holding up?"

"I'm fine. Have you seen Eustass?"

That question earned him a knowing look. "Saw him dunk one of the captains in the ocean."

"One of the Fruit users?"

"Yeah, his crew tried to dive in to rescue him but Kid killed a bunch of them."

"Good, the sooner we get this over with the sooner we'll get some rest." Although it was clear to Law that they were gaining the upper hand, the enemies refused to retreat. 

One of the two remaining captains chose that moment to show up and engage Law, probably in hopes of ending the fight by going after the strongest ones. That is, at least, if they had a strategy and hadn't just initially counted on overpowering them with numbers. 

"Prepare to die," the enemy captain declared. 

Law kept his face blank, not willing to engage in a battle of tired cliches. The man had shifted into a form resembling some kind of feline, an obvious Zoan user. He didn't waste time before charging Law. He was fast, but that didn't save him as Law easily chopped him into pieces. 

"What's this?" His voice was full of confusion as his head rolled on the floor, no longer attached to the rest of his body. 

Law lifted the head up by its greasy hair. "It's the price of arrogance."

That earned him a furious growl that was cut short as Law tossed the head into the ocean. It should be enough to take care of the problem, they could dump the rest of the body after the battle. 

Law turned around to look for his next target just in time to see Killer cut the throat of the last remaining Fruit user. He dipped the man's head backwards, opening up the wound and making arterial blood spurt out all over the deck. The dying man let out a sad rattle, his attempts at staunching the bleeding with his hands doing little to delay the inevitable. 

That only left one of the captains. Law searched for her with his gaze and found her standing over the unmoving body of one of Kid's men, pulling her sword out of his stomach. As if sensing his stare, she turned her head towards him. Before she could make a move though, Kid sauntered up to Law. 

He held up the head of the man he'd drowned, both water and blood dripping off it onto the deck. The cut at the neck was messy like he'd just ripped the head off with his bare hands.

"What have you done!" shrieked the female captain, her eyes wide with horror. 

"What's it look like? I cut off your buddy's head," Kid said, managing to sound bored. "I'm gonna use the bounty money to buy my boyfriend something nice."

"That's my brother you're talking about you fucktard!" she continued, visibly furious in a way that probably would've intimidated a lesser man. 

Kid had never been one to scare easily though. "Your brother cried like a bitch before I drowned him."

The woman charged at him, blinded by rage. She lifted her sword for a strike that never landed because Kid held up his arm in return and used his power to send the sword flying across the deck. This didn't deter her, though. She continued her charge, now weaponless, and screamed something incomprehensible. Kid didn't seem concerned, even threw Killer a look that said, _can you believe this bitch?_ , before turning back to her, ready to block her attack with his metal arm. 

Law didn't anticipate much danger either, she was of slim build and he assumed her actions were irrational, clouded by grief and anger. Maybe blindly charging an enemy was her way of getting killed honorably, people did strange things when losing loved ones. 

That's why it took him a moment to process the scene before him when between one blink and another Kid went from looking smug to grimacing in pain, staring down at a metal rod sticking out of his side. There was no sign of his attacker. Somehow she'd had time to pick through the metal debris that always surrounded Kid, injure him, and then disappear — too fast for anyone to register. The rest of the enemies looked shocked as well, all frozen in place before dispersing into different directions in their haste to escape now that there was no one left to take the lead.

"What the hell," Kid grunted, his brain clearly struggling to catch up with this turn of events. 

He reached to wrap his hand around the metal and Law leaped forwards shouting, "don't touch that!"

Kid froze, his gaze meeting Law's. "Where'd she go?"

"Worry about yourself," Law snapped, frustrated that Kid was concerned about something irrelevant when he could be bleeding to death internally. 

Law had almost made it to Kid's side when his body seemed to properly register that something was seriously wrong. Kid swayed in place, then listed to the side and would've probably hit the deck hard had Killer not been there to catch him. This was probably the first time Law was happy to see the man, their relationship was far from amicable but anything to keep Kid from worsening his injuries. 

Killer laid Kid down so he was laying on his uninjured side and looked at Law who knelt next to Kid. He had his mask on but Law didn't need to see his face to know he was counting on Law to fix this. 

"I'm fine," Kid slurred from the floor but didn't attempt to get up. 

Law ignored his idiotic comment and moved to check the wound. There was almost no bleeding, the metal rod blocking the wound for now. He'd only know the true extent of the damage when he removed the object and that wasn't going to happen before he got Kid to the infirmary on his ship. He moved Kid's coat enough to assess his back and could see the other end of the rod sticking out because of course it had gone all the way through, nothing could ever be easy with Kid. 

"Penguin! Shachi!" he shouted without taking his eyes off Kid. 

"Yes, captain?"

"We have to operate on him, I can't do anything here," Law said. "And can someone help take his arm off? It's going to be on the way."

"You're gonna cut off my arm?" Kid asked with a frown. 

"Yes, dumbass, I cure all wounds with amputation," Law scoffed, exasperated. 

"Why do you have to be such an ass," Killer chimed in as if the situation wasn't dire enough without his inane commentary. 

"Oh, sorry if I have other priorities than being nice right now." 

Kid grabbed ahold of his sleeve. "Law."

"What?"

"I think I'm dying," he said, eyes fixed on the metal sticking out of him. 

"Don't be ridiculous. From a small wound like this? That's how you want to be remembered?"

Kid seemed to be giving it some thought. "I don't care. As long as you remember me."

Law sighed, Kid had such a flair for drama. Of course, he was worried too, not that he was about to admit that aloud, but there was hardly a better place to get hurt. If anybody could fix this it was Law and his crew. He was thinking of pointing that out to Kid when the man's hold on him slackened, his arm falling listlessly on the deck. 

"Eustass." Law squeezed his shoulder firmly, but Kid's eyes didn't open up. "Hey! Stay awake!" He didn't waste time, snapping his fingers at Penguin for attention. "We've got to get him inside."

Penguin gave him a curt nod, not needing further instruction. He sprinted towards their ship, Shachi on his heels. They knew the drill. 

Exhausted as he was, Law knew the fastest and safest way to get Kid to the operating room on his ship was to use his power. Moving him too much with an injury like this would've been risky, especially since there was no one who could comfortably carry him. 

He activated the Room, expanding it just enough to cover the needed areas of his ship, and then exchanged Kid's body with the ugly paperweight he kept in the infirmary for this purpose. Law had anticipated feeling drained after the move but what followed was worse. His whole vision turned black and he stumbled, sure that he'd either fall on his ass or straight into the ocean when strong arms circled him and held him up. 

When his vision finally cleared he could tell his switch at least had been a success as Kid was nowhere to be seen and in his place lay a green glass object that may have been meant to resemble a frog, not that anyone could tell for sure. Law lifted his gaze only to be met with the masked, unreadable face of none other than Killer. 

"You good?" he asked. 

Law gave a timid nod, already feeling more steady even though the reality of his situation was only just dawning on him. He'd extended the limits of his ability as far as they'd go and it'd be a while before he could use them again. What that meant for Kid, he wasn't sure. He still had his medical knowledge, he should be able to operate even without his special power bar any catastrophic complications. 

Killer let him go and stepped to the side but placed a hand on his shoulder, quite an uncharacteristic move from the man. "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. Just... Make sure he survives."

Law couldn't help but admire Killer's ability to stay calm even in a situation like this. However, he didn't doubt that there would be consequences later if something happened to Kid under Law's care. 

"As if I'd let him die."

Law turned to make his way onto his own ship. This had to have been the most civil interaction he'd ever had with Killer and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. Flattered that the man trusted him with his captain's life? Intimidated that there'd be hell to pay if Eustass didn't come through this unscathed? Well, this was no time to worry about any future problems. 

He hurried straight towards the operating room, already stripping off his filthy garments as he jogged down the hallways. 

Penguin was waiting for him, a pained look on his face. "He wants you."

"He's awake? We have to put him under, get everything ready."

"Already done." 

It was times like these that Law fully appreciated the professionalism of his crew. The Strawhats could never. "Good, get me some clean clothes and scrubs."

Kid was lying on his side, his face pale and breathing shallow. He cast a wide-eyed look around, only relaxing minutely when he spotted Law. 

"Shh, lie still," Law said, dragging a chair next to the bed. "We're gonna fix you up."

"Do they actually know what they're doing?" Kid asked as Shachi dropped a scalpel on the floor with a loud clink. 

"Who do you think trained them? Besides, with my power, there's nothing I can't fix." That, of course, was a lie, especially since he'd not be using his power today. 

Nevertheless, Kid didn't need to worry about that. Getting him all keyed up would do nobody any good. Kid seemed to be on the verge of saying something but then closed his mouth. 

"You're fine," Law reassured him, "once you wake up you'll be on the good drugs."

Kid frowned at him, probably offended he thought he'd care about the pain. "Will you be there?"

"Where else would I be?"

He could sense Penguin hovering behind him so he waved him forward and watched as he set up the IV. 

He brushed some of Kid's hair back only to realize his hand came back wet, covered in blood. It wasn't visible in Kid's crimson hair unless you knew to look for it. 

"Did you hit your head?" They certainly didn't need new complications but it'd be better to know beforehand. 

"I think it's from the guy..." Kid said, zoning out in the middle of the sentence. 

"What guy?" Law prompted. 

"Hmm? Oh, the one whose head I ripped off."

"Well, that's just wonderful." He could see Kid fighting against the effects of the drugs, trying to keep his eyes open even when they threatened to close. "Just go to sleep, Eustass."

He said something, but his voice was low enough that Law had to lean in close to try to make sense of the words. Instead of repeating himself, Kid reached out his arm, almost hitting Law in the face with his lack of coordination. He curled his hand behind Law's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. 

It was kind of sloppy and uncoordinated — not to mention Penguin and Shachi were both standing right there — but Law didn't have the heart to pull back before he could feel Kid finally losing his grip on consciousness. As he straightened up, his crewmates were decidedly looking anywhere but him. 

Law cleared his throat. "Let's get to work."

They didn't waste time getting everything ready for the surgery, Law quickly explaining he wouldn't be using his Devil's Fruit. Penguin and Shachi shared a look between themselves as if they hadn't performed operations without it before. 

It was fine, it would be fine, Law told himself. Yet as he reached a hand towards Kid to begin he noticed his hands shaking. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself. He'd never had problems before, no matter how exhausted he was, no matter who was on the operating table. This should've been no different. 

He'd seen horrors beyond belief before, this wasn't anything compared to what he'd faced as a child, but even looking at the steel bar sticking out of Kid was enough to make him feel nauseous. The edges of his vision turned blurry, forcing him to grab onto the side of the table for balance, and before he even noticed, Penguin was there, an arm around his waist. 

"Maybe you should sit this one out?" he suggested. 

"I'm fine," Law insisted, but Penguin gave him a significant look that said he disagreed. "I will be fine."

"What if you make a mistake and it ends up hurting him?" Penguin said, his eyes fixed on Kid's unconscious form. 

Law doubted he cared that much one way or another what happened to their patient, but that didn't stop him from knowing how to best appeal to Law's conscience. 

"Damnit!" Law cursed. "I'm staying here though."

He could at least talk them through it if something went wrong. And maybe he'd be able to assist if the need arose. 

"I'll call Ikkaku for help," Shachi said, stepping out. 

Penguin moved to take his place beside Kid. "He's in good hands."

"I know," Law said with a sigh. "Just don't like feeling useless."

"Then don't. You're the same blood type, never hurts to have some extra, just in case."

"Fine, fine, at least that's something to do."

Law got up to gather the supplies needed. It wasn't likely that they'd need his blood but it had been a rough couple of months, there had been multiple injuries and their blood storage was, if not in short supply, at least not ideal. 

Ikkaku stepped through the door loudly, announcing her entrance. "I'm here! Let's get cracking."

"Does anyone else need medical attention?" It occurred to Law he had been so occupied with Kid he hadn't made sure how everyone else was doing. 

She shook her head. "Everyone else is either dead or they can wait."

Lucky for them, because Law wasn't planning on leaving until Kid was awake again. He dragged the chair into a position where he wouldn't be in the way but would still be able to see what was going on. He waved off Penguin's offer of help as he slipped the needle into his vein. 

He sat there, watching as the others moved around, a synchronized team with years of experience working together. They were the ones he'd have wanted to take care of him, had he been the one in need of medical attention. 

Shachi was the one to pull the metal rod out. It came out with relatively little resistance, making a sickening sound as it pulled free. Penguin immediately rushed to check on the wound left behind to assess the true extent of the damage. 

"How bad is it?" Law asked, itching to get up and check for himself. 

"It seems to have missed vital organs," Penguin said. 

Law heaved a sigh of relief. As often as Kid got injured, he always seemed to pull through. It would've been extremely bad timing for him to experience something more serious today of all days. Although impalement was plenty dangerous already — if nothing else the risk of infection was always high. It didn't sit well with him, letting others do all the work. It was nerve-wracking, watching the operation and waiting for something to go wrong, not because he lacked faith in his crew but because he was so used to setbacks. He only allowed himself to relax much later when Penguin announced they were done and they were moving Kid on a more comfortable bed. 

Law approached, checking their work. He lightly touched the spot where the metal had gone in. Penguin had done a good job with the stitches, with some luck it'd heal well, not that Kid was the type to make a fuss over new scars. He'd be more likely to show it off than anything. 

"You should rest," Penguin told him, stripping off his bloody gloves. 

Law huffed out a laugh. As if Penguin wasn't the one who'd just performed the surgery while Law'd been sitting on his ass. "I'll stay till he wakes up."

"That could take hours," Ikkaku pointed out, earning an unimpressed look from Law. He didn't need to be told how general anesthesia worked. 

"Someone should go give an update to Killer," Law said. "And check up on anyone else that received injuries."

"We'll get right on that," Shachi immediately volunteered, dragging Ikkaku along. 

"You can go too," Law said to Penguin who hadn't made a move to leave. 

"I'd rather stay too."

"I'll call for you if there's any change."

Penguin shook his head. "I'm not staying for him. Just don't think so you should be alone right now."

Law wasn't sure how to react to that. He didn't need Penguin to stay. After all, there was little else to do but to sit and wait. But if he wanted to offer his company then who was Law to deny him. "Do as you wish."

They sat in silence. From the corner of his eye, Law could see Penguin giving him looks every once in a while like he wanted to say something.

"What is it?" Law finally asked, unable to take it anymore.

Penguin flushed, clearing his throat. "I think he's good for you."

"Eustass?"

"Yeah. I can tell you care about him."

"I suppose, we would've lost more people today if it weren't for him."

Penguin stared at him. "That's not what I'm talking about."

"Obviously," Law said.

Penguin looked at him expectantly, but Law didn't elaborate. Honestly, it was none of Penguin's business. If his idea of moral support was to sit there and listen to Kid's snores with Law then fine. But if he expected some kind of heart to heart he was about to be sorely mistaken. No amount of exhaustion was going to make him divulge details of their relationship to him. 

When it became clear Law wasn't about to make any effort to keep the conversation going, Penguin slumped into his chair with a sigh. After a while, he got up, presumably to go to the bathroom, and Law took the opportunity to rest his head on the mattress. Without realizing it, he dozed off, the events of the day finally catching up to him.

He wasn't sure what woke him later, the smell of coffee or Penguin's quiet curses as he managed to spill the contents of one cup all over the floor.

"I hope that cup was meant for you," Law said, still groggy from sleep. He didn't know how long he'd been out but he didn't feel refreshed.

Penguin handed him the full one. "I'll just get myself another."

"How are things?"

"Killer went after the others. They're checking who has a bounty and getting rid of the rest."

Law nodded. "Good. Did anyone escape? The one who did this?"

He didn't really care about the others. They weren't a threat and he doubted their bounties would amount to much. He'd have liked to get his hands on the woman who caused all this, however. Firstly, to ask her _how_ she did it. And secondly, and more importantly, to do the same to her. Law wouldn't miss anything vital though.

"They're still looking for her but she can't be far. All of their ships are still here."

"Well, you know where to find me. And make sure Killer doesn't kill her first."

Penguin gaped at him. "You think _I_ can stop him?"

"What about me?" asked Kid, making them both jump. 

Penguin let out an undignified sound but Law managed to compose himself without spilling even a drop of his drink.

"Since when are you awake?" he demanded.

"Since you think you'll be the one to kill that bitch. She's mine."

"You can't even stand," Law pointed out, which prompted Kid to try and get out of the bed. "That wasn't an invitation to try!"

"I feel like shit," Kid muttered as Law pushed him back down.

"Yeah, you should lie down, nobody needs you for anything."

"That's harsh," Kid said, prodding at his wound. "Did I lose a liver or something?"

"A liver? Do you think you have more than one?" Law wouldn't put it past Kid. 

Law was convinced no one in their crew had any anatomical knowledge, which might explain why Kid was so fond of decapitating his enemies — he wouldn't have known how to aim for the heart or an artery.

"I mean... No?" Kid said, looking to Law for confirmation.

 _Is he serious?_ Penguin mouthed at Law who could only shrug.

"I'm going," Penguin announced with a vaguely disgusted look on his face.

Whether that was directed at Kid's lack of intelligence or Law's taste in men was anybody's guess. He stomped out of the door, clicking the lights off on his way out.

"Hey!" Law shouted after him but the door had already closed and left them in darkness.

"Just come to bed," Kid said, reaching out with his hand. It missed Law by a mile.

"That's not wise," Law said, sitting back in his chair, entwining his fingers with Kid's.

The bed was hardly big enough for one and it certainly wasn't recommended for people to get cozy with others immediately after surgery.

"Thanks," Kid mumbled into the silence surrounding them.

"You don't have to thank me for anything." He really hadn't done anything worth mentioning, after all. He'd been all but useless.

"Would've died without you," Kid said, squeezing his hand.

Law scoffed. "You wouldn't even have been here without me."

"Worth it though."

"Seeing me is worth getting impaled?"

"Yeah, worth a lot more than that," Kid said, his voice low and sincere.

Law shook his head, though Kid couldn't see it due to the darkness. "You're incorrigible."

"I don't know what the fuck that means."

"Doesn't matter, scoot over," Law said, standing up.

"Knew you'd change your mind," Kid said, sounding smug.

"I can still change it back." Law climbed in, taking care not to hit Kid with his knee. "If you fall off, I'm going to kill you."

"I'll just hold on to you." To emphasize his point, Kid wrapped his arm around Law's waist.

It was a tight fit, but neither of them minded. Law could feel Kid relax against him, his breathing slowing down, the meds not yet entirely out of his system. He pressed his hand against Kid's bare chest where he could feel the steady beat of his heart.

"What're you doin'?" Kid mumbled half into the pillow. 

"Nothing." _Just making sure._


End file.
